CH 43

I try remembering the day I came to this world. 

It feels as if it was a long time ago, but it was only 7 days ago.

In the first place, the reason I was thrown into this world was because my cousin Maki wished for someone like me to go to a game world with a weird tool she found in her warehouse. 

Even if it wasn’t her intention, I think Maki did quite the terrible thing to me, but leaving that aside, I think a bit more deeply of that time. 

It wasn’t only one tool that was found in the warehouse. 

The 7 balls that can grant any wish, the monkey’s paw that can grant 3 wishes, broken phone booth, a dried well, and the wish mallet that sent me to this world. 

And I remember Maki having found one other thing at that place. 

A long and thin paper that looks completely normal at a glance. 

A tanzaku used for Tanabata. 

Even if you tell me it can grant wishes, I would raise a brow dubiously, but if that Wish Mallet was the real deal, it is possible that the other ones can also grant wishes. 

That day, Maki wrote: ‘I want to become a princess’.

Of course, nothing happened then, and I thought until now that that tanzaku didn’t have any special powers. It was simply because the time was not right? 

Should I think that her wish of wanting to become a princess suddenly got granted because it is Tanabata, in other words, July 7th? 

Maki became this world’s princess, Princess Maki L Rihito, and the original princess, Shermia, was dropped from her position and was thrown to my place…is a possible scenario.

Of course, this is just speculation, so I don’t know why Maki became the princess of this world from all places, why there was the need to switch spots with the original princess to fulfill the conditions, why Princess Shermia was send to me bugged instead of disappearing or becoming someone else; there’s a lot of those questions that don’t have an answer. 

But even if I swallow all that miscellaneous strangeness, I do think my speculation is a pretty plausible one. 

This happening at 0:00 o’clock in July 7th is way too much of a coincidence, and I can’t think of any other reason why Princess Shermia would be thrown to my place.

“You have been mumbling this whole time… Are you really okay?” 

The greengrocer old woman said that to me and that brought me back.

I was swimming in my thoughts there and was brought back out from them.

“Y-Yeah, sorry. I actually came to this country recently, so my memories are a bit of a mess right now. The princess of this country is Maki…Maki-sama, right. Are there any rumors about her?” (Souma)

I hurriedly smooth it over and try asking. 

The eyes of the old woman had completely become the ones of someone looking at a weirdo, so it seems I haven’t fooled her completely, but she is more of a gossip lover. 

My weirdness got blown off to space and she immediately spoke about the rumors of the princess.

“Hmm, even I don’t hear much gossip about Princess Maki. In the first place, the royals don’t come outside all year long. Oops, keep it a secret that I said that, okay?” 

“Ahaha, right. Thanks.” (Souma)

I think while I responded to her. 

If Maki switched with the princess, it must have happened this morning. 

Cause there’s no way that troublemaker Maki would be staying obediently for several days in the castle. 

If there’s no rumors despite that, it would be better to assume that she has come recently. 

What I should be worried about next would be her standing in this world.

Should I think that she has inherited the princess related flags and her abilities?

Also, I am personally worried about how much effect she will have in the forced events. 

At the very least, I barely feel any interference from the system compared to the time when I was a player. 

It was the case when I dug out the Heritage of the Thief Meripe without clearing the event flags, and even in the middle of events where you are in spectator mode and can’t move, I managed to move freely in this world.

If it is Maki who is originally not an NPC of this game, there’s the chance that there’s barely any constraints from events like me, but I am not sure. 

If, at worst, her memories and personality have been turned the same as the ones from the princess of this game, it would be troublesome in a lot of ways. 

Anyways, the people aside from Maki should be taking actions resembling that of the game, so it will be really hard to make contact with Maki. 

The princess coming to the outside aside from events is really low. 

However, if Princess Maki truly is the Maki I know, there is definitely a need for me to have a talk with her. 

But if it instead goes exactly as the game, the chances of Maki being exposed to danger would be pretty low. 

Aside from the Attack on the Capital event, there shouldn’t have been any situations where there was any danger to the princess.

It should be okay to think I have the leeway of time here. 

I just hope Maki is still the same as in the original world and is in a standing that doesn’t get affected by the constraints of events though. Whichever the case, I would like to get some clues until an event where I can talk to her happens. 

If the one who disappeared was only me, it would simply be a college student living alone who suddenly disappeared, so it wouldn’t have much effect, but the story is different if even Maki came to this world.

Different from a loner like me, Maki must have a lot of things she left behind in our original world.

She is a hopeless cousin that causes trouble the whole time, but I want to bring, even if only her, back to our original world.

“Ugh…” (Souma)

Thinking that far, I reached a bitter thought. 

If I am to prioritize returning, I have to meet ‘that person’ again.

I don’t really like the idea, but now that it has come to this, I could go now…

(No, wait wait.) (Souma)

Even if I go now, there’s nothing I can do.

Also, before the talk of me lacking the appropriate strength, acting with ‘that person’ itself is way too dangerous. 

“…Wait, let’s calm down.” (Souma)

There’s way too many things I have to do. 

It seems like I am panicking here. 

What should be done first is to think about the things I can do at present, and clear them up one step at a time. 

“…Ah.” (Souma)

After calming down, I noticed the girl standing there with an eaten apple a bit further away. 

(What am I doing?) (Souma)

What I should be prioritizing here isn’t me or Maki, but the girl who has lost everything because of the wish of Maki.

“Uhm, Sher…Ringo.” (Souma)

I was about to call her Shermia, but corrected it soon after.

She will not be Shermia but Ringo, at least until I tell her. 

“There’s a variety of things I learned about you. I am thinking of returning to the inn for now and explaining that to you.” (Souma)

I said that to Ringo.

Her eyes were not directed at me, but she made a really micro nod. 

After returning to the inn and having a meal with Ringo, I will be explaining what we will be doing from now on.

“No way, even when the sun is still this high up…” (Alice)

Seeing us entering the room, Alice-chan made a shocked expression for some reason, but I acted as if I didn’t hear her and returned to the room with Ringo.

“First, about why you lost your memories…” (Souma)

This talk will get way too complicated if I tell her about this world being a game and that I came from another world. 

As for the wish granting items, I should make them things that this fantasy world can accept easily. 

I tell her that my cousin wished to become a princess with an item that grants wishes. 

And that there’s the chance that, because of this, the original princess Shermia was bounced off from the world, and ended up at my place. 

If I summarize it to only the main points, there isn’t much to tell her. 

I told her about what I remember of her previous self, but she didn’t show much of a reaction.

Her lack of reaction was really making me worried here, so I decided to throw the topic to her. 

“And that’s basically it. Is there anything you don’t understand or want to ask?” (Souma)

Even when I asked that, she was looking at nothing without showing any reaction at all for a while, but…

“…Name.” 

She eventually muttered this.

“Name?” (Souma)

I asked back reflexively, and she nodded reservedly. 

“I haven’t heard it yet.” 

It is a rare instance of her talking, but what she is asking made me tilt my head. 

I did tell her that her real name is Shermia though…

“Ah, do you mean my name?” (Souma)

When I asked her that, she nodded lightly. 

Now that she mentions it, I still haven’t properly introduced myself.

It is true that I was completely swallowed by the abnormal situation and it escaped my mind. 

“Sorry about that. I am Sagara…no, Souma Sagara.” (Souma)

“……”

But even when I introduced myself, she didn’t show much of a reaction.

It seems like nothing happened despite her being the one who asked.

(Ah, speaking of which, names…) (Souma)

Her original name is Shermia L Rihito.

What showed in the appraisal was ＊ェ♯＊♯・＊♭・゛※＊, so  in terms of the number of characters, it would fit. <The Japanese characters are シェルミア・エル・リヒト which does match the symbols above.>

Maybe it is showing some modicum of decorum here after throwing her away by the power of the wish, the 2nd character alone is actually correct. 

After thinking that much, a small question popped up.

(Would the appraisal change after all the things that happened?) (Souma)

In game and computer logic, it would be hard for the name data to change in the middle because of the will of the person, but in this world that’s strangely mixed with the digital and reality, her being aware of her own name might have fixed the bug. 

“Can I check your name once more?” (Souma)

Anticipating that, I got her permission and placed an appraisal paper on her arm.

The result was…

[Ringo Sagara: Lv 1]

It was something that betrayed my expectations completely. 

“No, isn’t this weird?” (Souma)

I came to my senses and muttered this. 

It has suddenly ended up with me being the sibling or something like that. The random name I chose, Ringo, has become her official name. 

“H-Hey, is that…okay with you?” (Souma)

When I showed her the paper, she nodded in such a small way it would be hard for people around to even tell she nodded.

But it bothers me. 

“Shermia is your real name, you know? Even though you learned that, you are going to continue using a made-up name…?” (Souma)

But she simply shook her head to the sides in such a fine manner it was as if it were a pain to do so.

And then, putting firm resolution in those blue eyes of hers I can feel deep intelligence in…she showed the rare sight of raising her head, looked straight at me, and said in a refreshing voice…

“…Ringo sounds…tastier.” (Ringo)

“Eh?” (Souma)

Names can be decided by how ‘tasty’ they sound. 

It was on this day that I learned that reality.